I found Brandon's letter under a rock at the top of Makapu'u in May of 2021. By September, Brandon and I had the opportunity to spend time together in person, and record a series of conversations about love. A year after his passing in September 2022, with the support of his family, friends, letter finders - we are now in early stages of post production to turn these conversations into a short documentary. You can read the full letter below.
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UPDATES
May 2, 2025;
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Hi friends, internet strangers, and the void that I often feel I'm speaking to. Checking in with a few updates!
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I'm currently in the "kill your darlings" part of the edit. In efforts to keep this under 40 minutes (a feat that has been expressed to me so many times is likely impossible) there's a lot of hard choices we're making in the edit. I've done this many times in other creative ventures, but it's never been as hard as this.
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I have considered foregoing the rules of keeping this to 40 minutes and there's a chance I might do that. Or I'll have two versions. The one for us and the one for them. "Them" being the industry standard of a short film falling under 40 minutes. "Us" being those who will be at our friends and family screening in September. TBD. Killing your darlings is a really great practice in creativity and visual communication and I welcome the challenge. It's just hard.
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An example of this is when I showed the first 10 minutes of the film to my biggest and most honest critic: my little sister. I love having her opinion because she is very practical and has taste so different to mine that if it were the taste of anyone else on this planet I would likely never associate with them. She watches the kind of TV shows that I'm convinced are the industry equivalent of a money laundering scheme (the acting is atrocious) and she will often say her biggest regret is not attending a Jesse McCartney concert in 2021. No offense to Jesse McCartney. Beautiful Soul was a bop.
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"Did he really like to fish?" my sister asked, eyes glistening 30 seconds in.
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"What? No. This is just a clip from some footage his friend took while hanging out with Brandon. I thought it'd be good to use this to put credits over it. It's neutral." I explained. Hoping she'd nod in agreement.
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She didn't. Those first 10 minutes are now about 7.5 - a lot of darlings have been killed. They may be resurrected and brought back from the "Timeline Graveyard" but for now, I'm editing with short attention spans in mind.
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Other updates! I swear Brandon is sitting next to me in the edit. Call me woo woo, idc. Earlier this week I was struggling to push through something. I didn't feel like I had the footage I needed. I was frustrated, gave up and laid down. "I'm clocking out." I told the air/Brandon. I checked my phone and didn't realize that Ashley had sent me a 21 minute home video and plethora of photos - the footage I needed.
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"Here, damn." is what I heard from Brandon. I had a laugh followed by a dreamless 10 hour sleep.
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An update in the physical realm: I've started shopping for venues for our September screening in the Sandy/Draper area. I have another pipe dream venue closer to the city, but for now I'm just cost comparing and putting feelers out. I'm also plotting to bring in some other fun things ahead of and after the screening, so please save the date. Holding myself accountable. September 22 - 7:30ish PM. Somewhere near Sandy, UT.
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Alrighty that's it. Back to killing my darlings.
past updates...
February 28, 2025;
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We're due for an update! It's been a little over a month since I last checked in here.
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This month, I applied for a micro-grant from Open TV Atlas Fund. The fund is an initiative that "propels intersectional storytellers into the final stages of their creative journeys". It's designed to meet artists where they are - in our case, post-production finishing funds.
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Whether or not I receive finishing funds, I have committed myself to releasing this documentary in September. So, while I'm hopeful and open to receiving any assistance in getting this project finished - it is in no way going to affect the completion and release of the film.
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I had the pleasure of catching up with Nonnie not too long ago. I told her about this page and the updates I'm committed to bringing here for anyone interested. I've accepted that I am a sensitive gal (please know I am fighting every urge to not add an emoji here to imply that I'm in on the joke of calling myself a "sensitive gal"). Committing to updating folks in a way that invited a lot of incoming messages and feedback is overstimulating and puts me in a freeze state.
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Some questions Nonnie had that you may have as well;
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Where will folks watch it first?
Somewhere in Utah! Likely the SLC area. Likely in a theater. Likely with some other fun things to commemorate the 5th anniversary of the letter. *The exception to this being Brandon's immediate family and our executive producers/investors who will see it prior to finalizing.
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Will it go to Sundance?
I can say with all honesty that I don't care. And that's a good thing because when I don't care I tend to make better creative decisions. But I will submit it to Sundance of course!
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What's the plan after releasing?
It depends. I'm not looking too far ahead at the moment because, as likely all of us here know, focusing on the top of the mountain is not nearly as helpful as focusing on your next step.
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**IF YOU'RE IN THE SLC AREA on March 15, The National MS Society will be hosting their annual "Together for a Cure: Salt Lake City". There will be a very special guest speaker - Ryan! The legend who brought Brandon to the literal top of the world.
Click here for more info. That's what I got for now.
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Take good care. - Krys
January 25, 2025:
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The film is currently in post-production. It's been a long process with limited & changing resources, but I am feeling more confident about where the cut is headed. I always knew it took a lot to make a film, but wow, it really takes a whole lot to make a film!
The climate of the entertainment industry has been rocky since 2023 (since 2020, really) and documentary projects have taken many hits along the way. I am confident that despite these road blocks, "Dear Brandon" will reach a locked cut in 2025.
The creative process for this project required a level of vulnerability than I was not equipped to meet. In 2024, I decided it was best for my overall health to take a step away from this project and others in order to give them the full, conscious attention they deserve. I'm happy to report that that break has come to an end. I'm feeling much more aligned and a bit more like myself. ​
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I'm currently prepping a new version of the doc to bring Kate (EP) and the rest of my post-production team in to review and give internal notes by the end of Q1. Our first screening for donors is set for September 2025 in honor of the 5th anniversary of the letter.
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I appreciate everyone's patience while I took time to heal and process as well as your continued support as we get "Dear Brandon" through the finish line.
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Big, big hugs. - Krys